


Unlike a Butterfly

by RealiLame



Series: Faith in Us [1]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: F/F, F/M, Kasumi-focused, M/M, Multiple Perspectives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-25
Updated: 2020-11-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:16:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27708911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RealiLame/pseuds/RealiLame
Summary: So... Let's say that you just got hit by a car while saving your sister. Now obviously you should earn a free pass into Heaven or whatever that place is, right? Wrong, you're now stuck in a blue room with prison cells. May your fate not lead to ruin, Kasumi Yoshizawa. Or perhaps it's best to call you by your new name, Velvet.
Relationships: Original Yoshizawa Kasumi & Caroline & Justine, Original Yoshizawa Kasumi & Morgana, Original Yoshizawa Kasumi & Sakura Futaba, Original Yoshizawa Kasumi & Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi
Series: Faith in Us [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2026616
Kudos: 9





	Unlike a Butterfly

**Author's Note:**

> So, this was an idea... Started out in October, then became something a bit serious. Anyways, I hope you all like it!  
> Special thank you to FlowerUnite, my wonderful beta reader, editor, and probably fellow idea thinker. Without them, this story probably wouldn't have been made.

**_Dressed in Velvet_ **

You know… One’s afterlife is usually seen in two ways. One being a shiny glow with those golden pearly gates just shining right in front of you, while the other is a fiery pit filled with creatures with pointy horns. But for me that day, I saw nothing but blue and…  
  
“Newbie, wake up!”

“Careful, Caroline. A mind such as hers doesn’t respond well to…”

“Huh?”

I slowly got up, trying to process the scene that’s in front me. A room filled with blue, a room filled with cells, a room filled with two children in warden’s outfits?

“Ah, it seems that our newest prisoner of fate has woken up.”

I’m a prisoner of fate? I look downwards towards my body to see....a black and white striped jumpsuit. What did I do to deserve this? Why am I here? And most importantly...

“Where am…”

A sharp pain fills my head, along with a vortex of blue butterflies wiping the room in front of me to show… **her**.

_It was a rainy day, normal on any other day but for some reason...it wasn’t today. I turn around to face my red-headed twin sister, looking a bit down._

_“Sumire? Are you doing alright? Coach did say that she was going a bit harder than usual today.”_

_“It’s not that… It’s just… You did your routine perfectly, but I… I keep messing things up…”_

_“Aw come on! Don’t feel so bad! You just had that growth spurt, of course you’re gonna mess up! Look at us, Sumire! We’re basically the same height! We could probably go as each other if we wanted to!”_

_“We practice the same… We work out the same… We learn from the same teacher… So why... Why are you the one to get the gold while I get nothing? I...Kasumi, you’re too far away.”_

_“Oh Sumire, it’s my duty of course! After all, I’m the older one!”_

_“Only by a few minutes…”_

_I grab Sumire’s shoulder, staring directly into her eyes._

_“Someday, we’ll be number one together. We’ll stand together on the world’s stage. That was our dream, right Sumire?”_

_Sumire stared into my eyes, with tears dripping down from her face._

**_“You’ll never understand how I feel.”_ **

The pain intensifies, causing me to fall to my knees as a teardrop slides down the side of my face.

_I watch as Sumire runs away in the crowd of people walking along the street._

_“Sumire, slow down!”_

_My eyes widen as I notice the light at the intersection. It was…_

_“Sumire, stop! Look at the light! Please listen to me, the light is…”_

_I ran as fast as I could, trying to catch up to her. Trying to save…_

“Su...su…”

**_“Sumire!”_ **

The pain worsens as I slowly begin to cry more. The last thing my sister and I saw that day was a shade of red.

“I’m gone... She’s gone… She can’t see me anymore. I’ll never be able to understand how she felt. I’m alone without her. She’s alone without me.”

As I slowly began to accept my fate, I suddenly felt a slap from a tiny gremlin which slowly brought me into the view of an old man with a pointy nose.

“Oh my… It seems that fate has been quite cruel to you.”

“What is this place? Why is there a desk surrounded by jail cells? Where the hell is my sister!?”

“Quite disrespectful, are we? Ah well, one question at a time. **Welcome to my Velvet Room.** This place exists between dream and reality. Mind and matter. You; Kasumi Yoshizawa, have perished due to a terrible fate. By doing so; however, you saved the life of one you cared most for. As such, I will offer you a deal.”

“A deal..? Wait, how do you know my name?”

“You wish to be with your loved one, yes? If so, I can give you a second chance at life. There are conditions; however…”

Conditions… A chance to return to Sumire. A chance to understand how she feels!

“You will need to undergo a form of rehabilitation in order to return to your normal life.”

“My sister… Where is she?”

“You’ll figure it out when the time comes, till then…”

Those two girls came into my vision, holding batons while dressed in blue and black clothes.

“To your left, Caroline. To your right, Justine. These two will be helping you with your rehabilitation as well as monitoring the rehabilitation of one other special individual.”

“Newbie, you better not fail us!”

“I look forward to assisting you.”

“Wait, a special individual?”

“This world is not as it should be. It’s filled with distortion, and **ruin** can no longer be avoided. Those who oppose fate and desire change… From time to time, they were referred to as Tricksters. Your duty is to assist the Trickster, guide him towards a world away from **ruin**.

“Wait a sec, distortion? Unavoidable ruin? You think that’s a little too much for a dead girl like me to handle!?”

“All will be explained in due time. Now, a few rules. Your sister must never find out who you are under any circumstances. Your influence on her will delay your progress towards rehabilitation, as well as place the both of you under an unfortunate curse. You, Kasumi Yoshizawa, are considered dead in your world. Interactions with the other world are a necessity to your rehabilitation; as such, I will provide a disguise for you to use when venturing outwards towards the other world.”

All of these things… A world destined for ruin. A Trickster needing guidance. My own rehabilitation. A chance to see my sister again!

“Do you accept this contract?”

“I do!”

“Very well. From this day forth, Kasumi Yoshizawa is no longer your identity. You will be Velvet Kurusu, my newest attendant to my Velvet Room.”

As the long-nosed man muttered my future to me, the moment just stopped. Time seemed to slow down as a cyclone of blue butterflies began to fill my vision. As the butterflies dissipated, I turned my attention to the two twins who seemed oddly excited.

“So newbie, what do you think?”

“Your outfit seems graceful, like a princess attending a ball. Of course, it might be best if you saw it for yourself.”

“A princess? Hey now, I’m not really the type of person to be wea....”

I began to see a reflection right in front of me. A blue and black dress with golden buttons? Black gloves and white leggings? Black slippers? My hair in a bun covered with a blue and black headband that included butterfly extensions? A suit designed for a prisoner, transformed into a dress for a princess? Is that really me? Is that really Kasumi Yoshizawa? No… That wasn’t Kasumi Yoshizawa, she died while protecting her beloved sister. This is Velvet Kurusu, the new Velvet Room Attendant. **The new me.**

_I am_ **_thou_ ** _, thou art I…_

_Thou hast acquired a_ **_new_ ** _vow._

_It shall_ **_become_ ** _the wings of rebellion_

_that_ **_breaketh_ ** _thy chains of captivity._

_With the birth of the **Charity** _ _Persona,_

_I have obtained the winds of blessing that_

_shall lead to freedom and new_ **_power_ ** _…_

“Anyways, newbie. As our master has said, I am the wonderful Caroline! While we’re working together, you’ll be seeing a lot of me. So don’t you dare forget my name or suffer the consequences, newbie!”

As Caroline stretched her hand towards me, I went forward to shake it. As I reached for her hand, a flash appeared behind her. A blue butterfly, flapping its wings assertively around her. My partnership with Caroline has begun.

“And I’m Kas...Velvet. I hope we can work well together.”

_I am_ **_thou_ ** _, thou art I…_

_Thou hast acquired a_ **_new_ ** _vow._

_It shall_ **_become_ ** _the wings of rebellion_

_that_ **_breaketh_ ** _thy chains of captivity._

_With the birth of the_ **_Fortitude_ ** _Persona,_

_I have obtained the winds of blessing that_

_shall lead to freedom and new_ **_power_ ** _…_

As I finished shaking Caroline’s hand, the other twin stared at me. Her stare, it was as if she wanted something from me. I went ahead and walked towards the other twin.

“Ah, so you and Caroline have finally grown accustomed to each other. My name is Justine, I shall provide you support as you grow to think of the Velvet Room as your new home. And please, do not forget my name as well.”

Once she finished talking, I reached out my hand. She did; however, seemed a little confused once I showed my hand to her.

“Well… If we’re working together, don’t you think we should shake on it?”

She hesitantly held out her hand towards mine, then began to shake it carefully. As our hands shook, a flash appeared behind her. Another blue butterfly, flapping its wings gracefully around Justine. My friendship with Justine is just beginning.

“Well, Justine. I’m Velvet, I’ll be working hard to make you and Caroline proud!”

_I am_ **_thou_ ** _, thou art I…_

_Thou hast acquired a_ **_new_ ** _vow._

_It shall_ **_become_ ** _the wings of rebellion_

_that_ **_breaketh_ ** _thy chains of captivity._

_With the birth of the_ **_Hope_ ** _Persona,_

_I have obtained the winds of blessing that_

_shall lead to freedom and new_ **_power_ ** _..._

I released Justine’s hand, then quickly turned to the man still sitting at the desk at the center of the Velvet Room.

“Now that you have become acquainted with my two attendants, my name is Igor. While I will be monitoring your progress from this Velvet Room, I will; however, not be assisting you on this journey. Your journey will contain many hardships, some will damage you while others will break the bonds that you share. I trust that you and my two attendants will see your rehabilitation through. Farewell, Velvet Kurusu.”

The presence of Igor suddenly fades from the Velvet Room. I turned to see the two twins, currently discussing...me?

“Caroline, do you think she’s worthy of fulfilling roles similar to ours? She’s only human after all, surely her capabilities wouldn’t be able to match up to us.”

“We’re gonna make her get used to it! She’ll see our duties and think it’s child’s play by the time our master returns!”

As I hear the two twins talk about their future plans involving me, I couldn’t help but wonder. My old life, my friends, my family, my... **sister.** My sister is now alone.

“Sumire, someday I’ll come back to you… Someday, I’ll find out how you truly felt…”

**_“_ ** **_My sister, my one and only sister._ ** **_”_ **

**_Caring About You_ **

Seven hours… This newbie has been unconscious for seven...whole… hours! Did this human die again already? Work hasn’t even started yet!

“Justine! This newbie hasn’t moved since she fell into her bed a few hours ago! What’s wrong with her?”

“Caroline… I think this is an action that most people call, ‘sleep’.”

“Sleep? The newbie’s been unconscious for hours at this point! Who in their right mind thought that this is considered normal?”

“The people who rather not pass out after a long day.”

I turn around to see our new brown-haired assistant, slowly stretching and yawning into her hand. This newbie is going to pay for making us wait hours for her lazy butt to get out of bed!

“Hey newbie! We waited too long for your butt to get up! Get up, we got work to do!”

I watched as Velvet slowly got up from her bed, then proceeded to do some weird motions with her arms and legs.

“Newbie, what are you doing?”

“Well, Caroline… Us humans call this motion ‘stretching’. We do this to warm up our body before an inten...what?”

I watched as the newbie proceeded to touch her arms and legs, jumped around, then grabbed some random heavy objects within the room.

“My body… What the heck is this? My arms and legs are stronger… What’s that music playing?”

“Oh, you can hear the music box coming from the other room? I thought these rooms are soundproof.”

“Well, Velvet… Reviving a human from the dead is a very complicated ordeal. Our master might’ve given you some extra perks…”

“Perks? What the hell did you do to my body?”

“Our master might’ve made a few adjustments to your body, as a way to assist you as you carry on with your rehabilitation. In other words, you’ll be a bit more resilient when it comes to any future endeavors that you’ll come across.”

The newbie looks at us with a face of half suspicion and half confusion..?

“So… Am I technically a zombie now?”

“What in the world is a zombie?”

“Ahem…”

I begin to turn as Justine gives the both of us a slightly annoyed look. Wonder what got her so ticked off?

“Velvet, our duty today is to get you settled in before we start with your rehabilitation process. Before we can begin with the process itself, we must first strengthen your mind.”

I turn to the newbie with an excited look on my face.

“Yea, newbie! We’re gonna toughen you up first, then you’ll be ready to work and kick butt!”

“Kick butt..? What’s that supposed to mean!?”

“We’re going to visit a special place today, one designed to challenge your mind as well as your heart.”

I watch the surprised look on Velvet’s face as she witnesses a blue door appear right next to us.

“Well? Come on, newbie! Let’s get this show going!”

“Wait, I’m not rea..!”

Justine and I grab both of Velvet’s arms as we forcefully drag her through the blue door, into a distorted world filled with black and red.

“What is this place, and why are we in the middle of a tunnel!?”

“Well, newbie… Welcome to Mementos! A place filled with everyone’s distorted desires and maybe some shadows…”

“Shadows? What do you mean shadows?”

I grin as I see a Jack O’Lantern coming this way.

“Oh! I spy a shadow coming this way!”

“Wait, what!?”

I quickly grabbed Justine as we quickly moved to a spot where both Velvet and the shadow couldn’t see us.

“Why did you do that? Velvet is in no condition to fight a shadow, Caroline.”

“Just watch.”

Justine and I slowly poke our heads out to see Velvet in confrontation with the shadow.

“Get...get away!”

Velvet’s gotta get hurt before she shows her true power. Though, I wonder if she’ll show it before she gets hurt too badly. And she got launched into a wall, yikes…

“No, not again… I lost my life protecting my sister, and now I’m about to lose it again by not protecting myself… No! If I can’t live to protect myself, how will I live to return to her!? I want to live! For her sake… **and my own!** ”

“Heh… She did it, Justine.”

_Such will. Refusing to lose once more after already having fallen once. Facing odds, hoping that the clock doesn’t reach midnight again. With that second slipper, let us march on with faith to change fate._

Velvet grabs the newly appeared ribbon and tore it off her hair.

_I am thou, thou art I… Let us reach this ball together…_

“Cendri...no… Cendrillon no Picaro! With you by my side, I’ll never lose again! **Eiha~!”**

The Jack O’Lantern was disintegrated, but a Pixie managed to enter the battle.

“Hahaha~! Move over!”

“Caroline, I sense an unknown figure coming this way… Yet their scent seems very familiar…”

I kept my attention on the newbie, until I noticed a black cat thing ram into Velvet from behind.

“Mee...ow~!”

“Gah~! What the he… A kitty?”

“Hey! Who are you calling kit… A shadow!?”

Huh, this cat knows what a shadow is. Where did this kitty come from anyway? And where did the cat get a sword!?

“You have a sword!?”

“Hey lady! You need a weapon if you’re gonna fight these shadows down here! 

“A weapon? I don’t have anything to use!”

“Hmm… This thing’s been weighing a lot on my back lately, maybe you can give it a try!”

The cat throws a giant spiked ball with a metal chain towards Vel...Wait! How did that cat carry that thing?

“Hey! You almost hit me with that thing!”

“Just pick it up and give it a try!”

I watch as Velvet quickly picks up the ball and chain, then starts wailing on the Pixie. Constantly doing flips and spinning the ball around, then quickly launching the ball at full force at the enemy.

“This performance is done~!”

The black cat slowly walks up to Velvet, clapping its tiny hands in rapid succession.

“Well done! You’re not too bad at this!”

“Oh, same to you um…kitty.”

“I am Morgana, remember that! And I am a human, not a cat!”

“Oh, heh… Sorry, Morgana. My name is Velvet, nice to meet you!”

“Anyways, I gotta run! See you later!’

“Hey wait, why are…”

The cat quickly runs off before Velvet even finishes her question.

“Haha~! I told you Justine, I knew she’ll be able to do it!”

”Caroline, that move was extremely risky.”

Justine and I both got out of our hiding spots and slowly appeared in front of Velvet with a surprised look on her face.

“Where were you two? I nearly died without you two!”

“We were observing you, newbie. In this world, you need to develop yourself on your own. To make sure you did, we simply went to a location where we could watch your progress without interrupting it.”

“You were here this whole time!? You could’ve…”

“Relax! We would never put you in harm’s way if we knew you couldn’t handle it!”

“Caroline’s right. We were simply testing you, and you succeeded with flying colors.”

A door quickly appeared right in front of us, then Justine and I grabbed Velvet and slowly dragged her back into the Velvet Room.

“Velvet, how are you feeling?”

“Like a giant monster, person-type thingy just came out of me. Wait, what’s the word..? Oh yea, I’m exhausted!”

“Well, newbie… You’re on the right track when you say it’s a person, but it’s more like a persona.”

“A...persona?”

“Yes, a persona. Personas are manifestations of a person’s will to rebel.”

“In other words, they’re basically another you inside of you!

“During your fight in Mementos, you were in a situation where you had no chance of winning with the way you were then. In other words, you were playing a game where you were supposed to lose.”

“But newbie, you fought back! You used your own will to fight back, and that will gave you new power!”

“My will… You’re right, Caroline! If the world wants to beat me out of it so badly, it’ll have to try harder than that! The weak, scared K...Velvet… dies today!”

A new expression appeared on Velvet. One filled with hope, determination, and... ** _rebellion._** As quickly as she made that expression, her face shifted to a face of...concern?

“Justine, Caroline…”

I turn around to face Velvet, with Justine slowly turning around with me.

“Yes, newbie?”

“Why are you two doing this for me?”

“Velvet… It’s our duty to our master.”

“And besides, newbie! As our new Velvet Room Attendant, you’re now one of us~!”

“Us..?”

**_“We need to work together, because you’re with us now!”_ **

**_Just Us Three_ **

Well, this is an unexpected morning… Seeing Caroline and Velvet...getting along with each other? It would technically be around two weeks in the real world, but Caroline actually getting along with someone new that quickly doesn’t seem normal.

“Haha! And the girl actually fell on her face?”

“Yea, it happened during one of my training sessions! This girl came along to practice twirling a ribbon, but she tripped over some of the equipment and fell. Luckily, she didn’t get hurt too bad though!”

“Newbie, why did you choose to do something as ridiculous sounding as that? I mean...ribbon twirling? Skipping? Constant spinning? Sounds kinda dumb to me!”

“Well, it wasn’t just me… It was me and…”

I watched as Velvet slowly began to frown while trying to continue that sentence. Maybe it’s time to step in.

“Who? You and wh…!”

“That’s enough, Caroline. Velvet, is something the matter?”

“It’s...it’s fine. So, what’s the plan for today?”

Velvet’s progressing very well so far. Even with her struggles, she managed to learn everything we’ve taught her so far. Maybe she’s… 

“Justine.”

I turned to Caroline who seemed to have a smirk on her face.

“You think it’s time? After all, it’s a little boring being stuck in a room like this!”

Before waiting to hear my approval, Caroline went ahead to inform Velvet.

“Hey newbie! How would you like to see that old world of yours once again, but this time from a new set of lenses?”

“We’re...going back? Wait, new set of lenses?”

I quickly took out a small gift from my pocket and handed it to Velvet.

“A pair of glasses?”

“Not quite… Put it on and see what happens.”

“I see a blue door, Justine.”

“What you’re wearing is your way out and back into the Velvet Room. Wearing them enhances your sight so you’re able to see areas that regular humans aren’t normally able to see, such as doors to this here Velvet Room. Plus, it also disguises your appearance to anyone that may have known you in your previous life. Oh, I almost forgot this too.”

I slowly took out a blue ribbon and showed it to Velvet.

“Your outfit did seem a bit incomplete for a while, so I made this ribbon for you. You’re technically a member of our family, after all.”

Velvet slowly shifted her head towards the ribbon, then made an expression that seemed...close to tears?

“Justine… Why don’t you hold on to that for a bit longer? I don’t think I’m ready for that yet.”

“If you say so, Velvet…”

The tone of the room went a bit dimmer. That is until…

“Come on! We have a duty to fulfill today, plus Velvet has to get used to the real world again.”

Agreeing with Caroline, I went on to reveal a blue door right in front of Velvet.

“Shall we?”

As we entered the door, a flash of blue light began to shine brighter until the sight of an afternoon sky began to show itself.

“It appears we’ve arrived at some sort of park, Justine.”

“This...this is Inokashira Park. So, we’re in Tokyo..? It’s a bit dirtier than I remembered though.”

“Velvet, I understand how you feel but we really need to get this job done. Now put that device on before someone spots you.”

“Device? Oh, you mean the glasses!”

I watch as Velvet quickly places the device on her face before seeing a loud pair of girls nearby.

“My… Those people are quite lively.”

“Those humans! Always being so loud in a calm looking place like this!”

“I don’t know, they seem pret…”

Velvet seemed to stop abruptly, but continued to stare at the kids. I turned to see the two girls wrapping their arms around each other.

“Velvet, what are they doing? Hey, are you listening to me!?”

I took a look back at Velvet to see dripping water coming from her eyes. Wait, she’s...crying? Velvet, what’s causing you to do this?

“Is something the matter? We can wait a bit more before we start today’s assignment.”

“Justine, it’s nothing… Don’t worry too much about it. So, what are we doing today?”

“Alright, newbie! To help you adapt to your surroundings in the real world, we prepared a small list for you! You have the rest of today to search for all of these things. We aren’t going back until you get everything on this list!”

Caroline gave Velvet the list, but then Velvet started looking kinda confused.

“Water of Rebirth? Second Maid? Strength Incense? What kind of names are these?”

“Don’t worry about the name, worry about getting them if you wanna sleep tonight! Oh, and you can get one thing for yourself, Velvet.”

“Wait, how will I even pay for this? I don’t even have any money on me!”

“Don’t fret. Just find the item and we’ll give you enough to afford it.”

“Okay. Since we’re apparently going shopping, let’s head to Shibuya!”

Velvet led us towards the subway which was supposed to lead us towards another part of the city. As we boarded the train, Velvet suddenly grabbed my hand along with Caroline.

“Velvet?”

“It’s easy to lose track of people on this train, Justine. I’m only doing this because I don’t want to lose sight of you, sis.”

“What was that, newbie?”

“Uh, it’s nothing! Let’s just wait till the train stops.”

The train eventually stopped at our destination. A few seconds before we headed off, a lady from somewhere repeated the name of the location multiple times.

“Ahh! We get it, this place is known as Shibuya! We get it, loud lady who I can’t even see!”

“Come on, Caroline. This place is large, let’s get moving.”

Velvet led us to many different places in this area. During our travels however, Caroline increasingly got annoyed due to how long Velvet was taking to gather our items. She was close to hitting her mark when Velvet apparently took us into a gift shop for some odd reason.

“Oh my god, it’s been hours! How long does it take to get a Water of Rebirth? And why are you even buying a postcard anyway? You barely talked to anyone during this entire trip!”

I took a look at the post card itself, it’s very vibrant. The strokes of red and black, painted to form a small flower in the middle of the card.

“Velvet, what is this for?”

No response came from her. She took the card and placed it in a bag, then took us two out of the gift shop.

“Where are we going next?”

“Back on the subway, Justine. It’s getting a bit late, but there’s one more place that I wanna look at first.”

We headed back to the subway into another part of the city. A place known as Yongen-Jaya according to the announcer. The moment we got off however, Caroline got unusually excited for some reason.

“Newbie, put on your glasses real quick!”

I quickly looked towards Caroline in concern, then realized what she’s about to do.

“Caroline, are you seriously going back to the room now?”

“Hey, I’m tired! Velvet made us walk around this city for hours! Hours, I tell you!”

“We need to stick by her though! We can’t just leave her alone!”

As Caroline and I continued our bickering, Velvet is apparently...giggling?

“Newbie! What’s so funny?”

“Nothing, nothing! Caroline, I don’t mind if you go back for a bit.”

Velvet quickly took the device off and placed it back inside her pocket.

I hesitantly agreed with Velvet, but added one condition for Caroline.

“You must be in the park by the time we get there!”

“I will! I’ll see you two there.”

As Caroline went back to the Velvet Room, I continued to follow Velvet down a street corner with a small cafe on the side of the road. I quickly hid in the alleyway after noticing that Velvet bumped into...an orange-haired girl? I didn’t know human hair came in orange, though I did see a silver-haired woman while following her.

“Gah~!”

“Ehh~?”

The orange-haired girl fell back while Velvet stayed up, watching the terrified girl on the ground.

“Hey… Are you alright?”

“I...um! I...I!”

I watched as Velvet held out her hand towards the poor girl and pointed towards the nearby bench.

“Hey, you wanna maybe talk for a bit? You seemed kinda down.”

“I...okay…”

The two girls both sat on the nearby bench. So, Velvet… You’re finally creating bonds with people from this world once more.

“So, what’s the matter? You don’t have to go into detail if you don’t want to.”

“I...um… My mom…”

The poor girl’s eyes began to tear up which gave Velvet her signal. She wrapped her arms around the poor girl, trying to comfort her.

“You lost someone, right?”

The poor girl nodded her head slowly, still crying.

“I lost someone too… Someone I could always count on, someone I want to care for, someone I want to reach the top of the world with! Someone really dear to me. All because I never realized how they felt…”

“Never realized..?”

“I accidentally hurt them, and now they’re taken away from me… If I can go back, maybe I can show them that I had a change of heart.”

“I hurt my mom… She’s gone because of me… I was terrible to her, and now she’s left me alone…”

“Don’t you have other family or friends to go to?”

“My best friend, she abandoned me… My other family, they hate me cause I caused her death. My adopted father, he tries his best to take care of me, but he’ll never understand how I feel.”

I watched as Velvet’s sympathetic face turned into a caring smile.

“Hey… Can we become friends?”

“Fr...friends?”

“Yes, friends…”

The orange-haired girl began to cry some more while Velvet continued to comfort her.

“You don’t deserve to be alone… Loneliness hurts a lot, so let me help you fight that. Let me be your um...player 2?”

The orange-haired girl began to...laugh? Wait, what does player 2 mean? Velvet needs to explain this to me later.

“Yes… I wanna become friends…”

“Okay! My name is Ka...Velvet Kurusu… Just call me Velvet.”

I watched as Velvet held her hand out towards the slightly smiling girl.

“And I’m Futaba Sakura… I hope we can stay friends… And uh, please call me Futaba.”

“Alright, Futaba.”

The orange-haired girl shook Velvet’s hand… Looks like Velvet finally made her first bond in this world.

“Velvet… Do you have a number so we can talk again?”

“Sorry, but uhh… How should I say this? I don’t have a phone..?”

“Oh…”

“How about this, Futaba… Anytime you wanna see me, I’ll be here on this bench waiting for you.”

“Okay, Velvet…”

I watched as Velvet slowly left the bench, but the orange-haired girl stopped her.

“Velvet… Will I actually see you again?”

“We’ll meet again, Futaba…”

As Velvet slowly walked away, I continued to watch the orange-haired girl as she began to look down.

“Mom… You left me again… Please come back...to change my heart.”

I got out of the alleyway to meet Velvet near a small cafe down the street from where she originally was. But when I took a look at her face, she seemed a bit sad.

“Velvet, I’m here.”

“Justine…”

“Come on, Velvet. Caroline is waiting for us at the park.”

We both got back on the train. But for the whole time we were on the subway, Velvet was shaking. As I began to hold on to her hand, she began to calm down. We stepped out of the subway and made our way to the park which led to us dealing with an annoyed Caroline.

“Where were you two? I’ve been here for almost an hour waiting for you both to come back!”

“I’m so… I’m sor…”

In that moment, I watched as Velvet began to break into tears.

“Hey, hey! I’m not that mad at you, calm down…”

“Velvet, what’s the matter?”

“Justine… I...I…”

“I miss her so much!”

“Who do you miss?”

“I miss my family, my friends, and my… My sister~! I lost everything because I hurt my sister! I’m afraid of never seeing them again! I’m afraid of being alone!”

“Velvet…”

I held onto her hand once more, then stared straight into her eyes.

“I know we aren’t a replacement for your true family. But we want to help you, we care about you. And no matter what, you’ll never be alone. Because you’re part of our family now.”

“Yea, newbie! We left you alone a few times, but we’ll never straight up abandon you! Justine and I, we’ve grown to like you these past few weeks. And I’m willing to accept you as part of us. Not only as a person we’re supposed to look after, but as one of us.”

“Justine… Caroline…”

Velvet suddenly hugged the both of us, but it was clear that she was feeling better.

“You two, can I ask a favor from the both of you?”

“Anything, Velvet.”

“I know that Velvet is the new me now, but I want to remember the old me too. I don’t want to lose who I truly am, and I don’t want to lose the me that loved my sister. So please, even if it’s in private… Even if I’m Velvet Kurusu, can I be Kasumi Yoshizawa to you too?

Before I could respond, Caroline seemed to already have her answer.

“If it makes you happy, then okay Kasumi!”

I took a deep breath before giving my answer.

“Whether you’re known as Kasumi or Velvet, you’re still you. And because you’re you, I’m willing to accept it. Welcome to our family, Kasumi.”

I pulled out the ribbon and held it out towards Kasumi.

“This is now yours, if you want it.”

“You two…”

She grabbed the ribbon from my hand and tied it around her hair, forming a style that seemed a bit more bold yet graceful.

_I am_ **_thou_ ** _, thou art I…_

_Thou hast acquired a_ **_new_ ** _vow._

_It shall_ **_become_ ** _the wings of rebellion_

_that_ **_breaketh_ ** _thy chains of captivity._

_With the merge of **Fortitude** and **Hope** , _

_May the **winds** itself provide a blessing that _

_keeps oneself brimming with **Strength**. _

“Thanks, you two…”

“Don’t sweat it, newbie! We’re always here when you need us.”

**_“You’re not alone anymore. We’ll always be beside you, because we’re your family now.”_ **

**_A Violet’s Plight_ **

Kasumi… Why, why did I do this to you… You said we’d reach the top of the world together, but now I’m stuck doing it alone… I...I can’t do it without you. I can’t, I jus…

“If it makes you happy, then okay Kasumi~!”

“Huh!?”

I looked around in an attempt to find out where that voice came from… Maybe it’s her, maybe…

“Come on, Velvet! Let’s go back to the room!”

I turned to see a strain of familiar brown hair, until it suddenly disappeared.

“Kasumi..? No, it wasn’t you… Why, why am I seeing you? Do you hate me so much that you’re willing to haunt me? I’m sor…”

My vision began to turn watery as I slowly fell to my knees.

“I’m sorry… Oh god, I’m so sorry…”

I quickly got up and wiped my tears.

“Sumire won’t cause any problems anymore… Kasumi will reach the world stage, I promise.”

**_“The weak and insecure Sumire... dies today.”_ **

**Author's Note:**

> Heh...


End file.
